


Survival of the Smartest

by magician



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Adventure, Bingo, Challenge Response, Gen, Sentinel Bingo Card
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 02:51:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14299161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magician/pseuds/magician
Summary: Sometimes games can be dangerous.





	Survival of the Smartest

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2018 Sentinel Bingo Challenge for the prompt "Survival". 
> 
> Oh, and I know that in canon Megan doesn't show up until after Joel leaves the bomb squad, but I like her and wanted her in here to balance out the testosterone, so slight timeline AU. ;^p Mea culpa!

 

 

Mt Rainier Lodge, Cascade Police Seminar

Saturday afternoon.

  
  
Blair shifted in his seat, trying to find a comfortable position.  He'd sat in many seminars during his life, both through his own education and accompanying Jim.  This was the latter, and a more boring day he couldn't remember spending.  
  
Ostensibly, these things were held to accomplish certain goals, such as to share new procedures, improve communications, build trust or improve decision-making abilities.  So far, he hadn't figured out exactly what the purpose was, and there was nothing in the printed hand-outs to enlighten him.  He was surprised to find the entire Major Crime squad was there, at least all of those who worked Monday through Friday.  Normally, they sent one or two members at a time, and usually during working hours. Rick O'Neal, who worked MC's second shift, was also in attendance. Additionally, the three members of the PD Bomb Squad had joined the MC group.  He knew Joel Taggert, their captain, but he'd never met Manny Maldonado or Jennifer Flaherty.  
  
Matthew Carlson, the seminar leader, was talking. He had a soft voice, the kind that was currently putting Blair to sleep. Jim poked him surreptitiously in his side with a well-placed elbow.  Blair sat up straight and reached for the coffee carafe that was on the table, disappointed that it was empty. With a sigh, he turned his attention to Carlson.  
  
"As I explained earlier, the reason Major Crime and the Bomb squads are taking this seminar together is because you're small units, compared to the other divisions. Also, I understand that you often work together, since setting off bombs usually qualifies as a major crime," Carlson said, chuckling a little at his own witty remark.  None of his audience joined in.  They'd been in one session after another with only bathroom breaks and one mid-morning stop for coffee and donuts, and most of the members were not in a joking mood.  It was already half past noon, and everyone was wondering when they would break for lunch (and be able to get outside the conference room to breath some fresh air). It seemed ridiculous to have come all the way to Mt Rainier's lodge on a beautiful spring day just to stay inside. Carlson took another deep breath. Everyone inwardly groaned; it signaled another of his monologues was about to start.  
  
"Of course, another reason is so that you don't fall into habits; you get a chance to work with someone other than your partner or squad. So, with that in mind, the next exercise will take place in the field…" At that, everyone sat up in their chairs. "…pairing you up with someone who's not your usual partner.  It's a sort of survival test. Of course, some of you, like the captains, don't have partners. In those cases, I've assigned you logical partners, and that's the person you will _not_ be working with."  
  
He picked up a large serving bowl. "Okay, the names of your partners are in this bowl.  If you pull out the name of your partner, you need to select another name." He rubbed his hands together. Checking his list, he said, "Megan Connor is first."  
  
Megan reached into the bowl and pulled out a folded paper. "Jennifer," she read, looking at the bomb squad member.  "Looks like we get to show up the blokes."  Jennifer nodded happily.  
  
Henri was next. "Rafe!" he announced, reading his partner's name. "Damn, I guess I can't get away from you." He reached in and picked another name. "Rick, looks like we're a team." Rick O'Neal nodded unenthusiastically.  
  
Joel reached in the bowl and unfolded the paper. "Blair Sandburg," he read.  
  
"Hey," Blair protested. "I don't even work for the PD."  
  
"Really?" Carlson asked, checking his clip board.  "It says here you've been partnered with Detective Ellison for more than two years. Why are you here if you're not part of the team?"  
  
"I'm an unpaid observer.  I've been observing Detective Ellison for my PhD and I expected to be an observer here. I'm not interested in participating." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joel, who was looking a little… hurt.  Blair hesitated as he looked around the room. "Well, if I don't play, you've got an odd number of participants, so… I've changed my mind." He went up to Joel and slapped his back. "C'mon, Joel, let's kick their asses." He was rewarded with a smile and a nod.  
  
The rest of the teams were paired without incident.  
  
"Okay, now for the rules," Carlson continued. "We'll be dropping the teams off at sunset tonight.  You have until noon tomorrow to make your way back to HQ. You'll each be given a water bottle and knife plus a pack of matches and a compass to share between you. We're also giving you some energy bars. Not enough to keep you from being hungry if it takes you the entire time to get back here, so you may need to forage if you don't want your stomach grumbling! You'll be blindfolded so you won't know where you'll be dropped off. We're also going to put a tracking device on each of you, in case we need to find you. You'll have one flare gun that you can use if you're in trouble. You may carry your service revolvers, but you can't use them for anything except self-defense.  No shooting tonight's dinner!" he joked.  
  
"Points will be awarded for how quickly you return to base.  However, there are other ways to earn points, so speed isn't always the best strategy.  Scattered through the field of play will be prize tokens. How difficult it is to retrieve them will make them more valuable.  Since there isn't an assigned territory, you can claim any token, even if it ends up being near another team. They will be clearly marked and easy to see.  
  
"The only other rule is that you cannot sabotage another team.  Other than that, go crazy!  I suggest you rest up until tonight." With that he left. The room quickly cleared out until only Jim and Blair were left.  
  
Jim walked up to Blair. "Sorry, Chief, I didn't know that was going to happen." He frowned, looking at the door where Carlson had exited.  "Maybe I should talk to him."  
  
"Forget it, man. I've made my peace and Joel and I get along great." He lowered his voice. "Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"Yeah, no sweat. I got Simon and I don't expect this to be much of a challenge to my…" he trailed off.  
  
"Okay.  I guess I'll see you later." Blair exited and went to the lodge's restaurant, where he saw his new partner sitting by himself with a cup of coffee. "Hey, Joel, do you mind if I join you?"  
  
Joel smiled slightly. "Well, I guess if we're going to be partners, we should start now." He indicated a seat.  
  
"Listen, Joel, I want to apologize for that outburst back there.  I was blindsided, and I just reacted."  
  
"I know you're normally with Jim…"  
  
"That's no excuse for what I did and no reason I can't work with someone else.  I think we'd make a great team. We both bring in different experiences that complement each other. And, of course, we're totally compatible," he said, grinning.  It was contagious.  
  
Joel said, "We are at that.  I'm sorry, too. You made a good point back there.  Half the time, someone's telling you you're not a cop and the other half they're asking you to pitch in and help. I shouldn't have acted like a kid disappointed that he didn't get a toy he wanted." He looked at Blair. "Not that I consider you a toy…"  
  
Blair laughed. "Hey, I'm just glad to be wanted.  So, what should we do until zero hour?"  
  
"Well, one thing I always learned in the service. Before a mission, you should load up on sleep and food, because you never know when you'll get an opportunity for either in the field.  Since we don't know what we're going to face, that's sound advice."  
  
"Sounds great.  Let's order something that's not too heavy and has lots of protein.  After that, we can grab a nap.  I've got DEET wipes in our room.  We should wipe down before we take off--maybe put a couple in our pockets or…" He looked around and lowered his voice. "…somewhere no one will notice them."  
  
Joel grinned.  "I like your thinking."  They started in on their appetizers.

 

*****

  
"Okay," Joel said, as they were finishing their coffee.  "We can't anticipate everything that will happen, but we can guess. What are your ideas on how to prioritize?"  
  
"Well," Blair answered, looking into his coffee cup and thinking.  "We're going to be blindfolded when they drive us, and I expect they'll probably do some back-tracking to try to confuse us."  
  
"I agree.  I'm pretty good at keeping track of where I am.  I think I could give us a good idea of where we end up in relation to the lodge. Of course, we could always just find our way back to the road that leads to the drop-off point and follow that back to the lodge. But I suspect it will be shorter if we can travel through the woods."  
  
"That would be great.  Jim always makes fun of my sense of direction.  If you can tell where we are, we can use the compass to plot our course.  Our next problem is going to be how to travel at night without tripping over anything and hurting ourselves."  
  
"We could wait until dawn before we start moving," Joel suggested.  
  
"That might be a good idea, especially if we're not all that far from the lodge.  We have until noon to make it back.  But if they drop us somewhere further out…"  
  
"We could build a fire, then use some wood as torches."  
  
"That's a great idea," Blair said excitedly.  "I was thinking of a campfire to warm us and keep critters away, but making torches is excellent. Our priority while there's still light should be to gather as much dry wood as possible."  
  
"Should we be looking for food before it gets dark?  I was a pretty good trapper when I was young. Maybe get a rabbit?"  
  
Blair thought about it.  "That'd be okay, as long as it doesn't put us in harm's way, like trying to do it in the dark where we could trip or fall in a chuck hole.  But we could be wasting valuable time and energy to catch and prepare it. It's probably safer to just forego food unless there's an easy opportunity, like finding berries or greens nearby.  I'm good at identifying edible plants from my expeditions and the camping I've done with Jim.  They're giving us some energy bars and let's eat some food right before we report in." He stopped to look at Joel. "Do you have a need for regular food, like are you diabetic?"  
  
Joel smiled. "No. In fact, it wouldn't be so bad for me to fast once in a while.  I can survive that long without food.  So, what's next?"  
  
"Hmm. Weather.  Have you heard what the weather's going to be tonight?"  
  
"No. Last night was pretty mild, though. They didn't say anything about how to dress, so I'd suggest layering, even if we think it's going to be warm enough.  If we got hurt or something, we'd have material to use as bandages, just in case."  
  
"I can do layers," Blair said with a grin. "And don't forget hat and gloves. The extremities are where you lose a lot of body heat." He looked at Joel.  "One thing we haven't talked about is our goal.  Do you want to make it back by the deadline, or did you want to try to win or what?"  
  
Joel shrugged.  "Winning would give us good bragging rights. But I'm getting a little long in the tooth for these activities.  If we can make it back by the deadline and intact, with only a few aches and pains to show for it, I'd be happy."  
  
Blair smiled.  "That suits me just fine.  So, why don't we break for now and try to get some rest?  Meet back here at 8 for our last meal?"

 

*****

  
Joel was using a stick to make a drawing in the soft ground. "This is where we are," he said, pointing to one "X".   "I'm pretty sure this is the lodge. Only a few hours away at most."  
  
"So, safe to wait until dawn so we don't risk injury walking in the dark.  What direction will we head in?"  
  
Joel pulled out the compass.  "Roughly northeast. Using the sunrise will help us keep on track as well as using the compass." He looked around.  "I think we should find a nice place to shelter." Blair nodded agreement.  
  
They'd just finished gathering wood, deciding on camping within a circle of large, sturdy trees close to where they'd been dropped off. If it rained, the canopy would protect them.  A squirrel chittered at them, causing Joel to look up. "What's that?" he asked, pointing up at a branch where something shiny and definitely not natural reflected the waning light.  
  
Blair looked at where he was pointing and grinned.  "Well, Eagle-Eye, looks like you found one of those tokens; it's something wrapped in aluminum foil.  How're we going to get it down?"  
  
Joel shrugged.  "Throw some rocks at it?"  They picked up some rocks, but it was lodged.  He looked at Blair.  "My tree-climbing days are long past.  What about you?"  
  
"The last time I climbed a tree was when I first met Jim." He squared his shoulders and looked at where he could use hand- and foot-holds. _You can do this, you can do this_ , he chanted to himself.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Joel asked, sensing Blair's nervousness.  "Getting that thing isn't worth a broken neck."  
  
"No, I'm okay.  It actually looks like a pretty easy climb.  I've just got a bit of a fear of heights, probably from that time on the rope bridge I told you about.  I just have to psych myself up."  With that, he climbed the ten feet to the glittery package, plucked it and tossed it down, descending without incident.  
  
"All right!" Blair said, rubbing his hands against his jeans to clean off the bark. "Let's see what we've got.  Is it treasure or trash?"  
  
Joel unwrapped it and his eyes widened.  He held up a flashlight and a note, which he read.  "Since you were bright enough to find your token, here's something to help you keep looking up. You've won 25 points for finding it and 25 points for retrieving." He grinned as he turned it on--it shone brightly.  "Wow, this will really help us get through the night. Great job, Blair."  
  
"Hey, you spotted it, partner.  I call it a team effort." Blair grinned.  "So, this changes things.  What do you think we should do?"  
  
"How about we start to make our way back to base?  The flashlight may not hold up for the entire night, but it should help for a while."  
  
"Okay, that sounds like a plan.  We might even find a path." He looked at the pile of firewood they'd gathered.  "I don't think we should waste this, in case we need to build a fire or use the torch plan.  I can turn my jacket into a sling and carry a fair amount."  
  
Joel took off his jacket and handed it to Blair.  "Load me up, too. When we're walking we won't need our jackets."  In a matter of minutes, Blair had a good assortment of kindling and a few larger pieces; wrapped to minimize their being poked in the back as they walked.  
  
They looked around to make sure they weren't leaving anything, then set out with Joel in the lead.

 

*****

  
Simon took his blindfold off and looked around, noticing that Jim had taken off and was heading into the forest.  "Ellison! _Ellison!_ Wait up."  
  
Jim stopped but didn't turn around.  The set in his shoulders was enough to signal his displeasure to Simon's well-practiced eye. He walked up to his best detective and stepped in front of him, forcing Jim to meet his eyes.  "Hey, we're supposed to be in this together and you haven't said two words. All I want to know is who pissed in your Wheaties?"  
  
Jim's jaw clenched as he stared meaningfully at his boss. "I'm not sure, Sir, I have several candidates."  
  
"What does that mean?  I had no choice in having us participate in this waste of time.  The city had extra Employee Education funds that needed to be used up. Carlson is some kind of seminar guru and, by the way, a close friend of the Mayor's brother.  You've been around long enough to know we can't fight these things, just try to get through them."  
  
Jim looked at Simon as if he'd lost his mind.  "Have you been asleep this whole weekend? I'm talking about what happened with Blair."  
  
Simon rolled his eyes. "C'mon Jim, the kid can take care of himself--"  
  
" _And he shouldn't have to when it comes to things like this,"_ Jim practically snarled.  "He came up here to support me. He was planning to catch up on school work if I didn't need him.  Then he gets blindsided in front of two squads, whose respect he clearly wants, while Joel looks like he lost his best friend when Blair objected.  No wonder he caved.  
  
"You regularly remind him he's not a cop, but you didn't back him up when he said clearly that he wasn't an employee and not required to participate.  What happens if he gets hurt? That can happen anywhere and has often enough on the job--on _my_ job.  But out here, at night, in the wilderness? What are the chances? And if he misses any more school due to injuries, they're going to start objecting to how his 'observing' is just too dangerous. They might not let him finish his degree, certainly not with me.  Not even taking into account that injuries are cumulative. How many concussions has he had during his time of _not_ being a cop?  
  
"So, yeah, I think there are several people who've 'pissed in my Wheaties', as you so eloquently put it." With that he turned his back, not wanting to face Simon any longer.  
  
Simon took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to stop the incipient headache that was forming behind his eyes. He wiped the lenses and put them back on.  "So, what do you want to do?"  
  
Jim could hear in Simon's voice that his tirade had gotten through--they were on the same page.  He let out a deep breath.  "Well, on the ride out here, I was thinking of playing this stupid game, but keeping my senses turned down, so we're on the same playing field.  That way, Blair and Joel and everyone else has a fair chance of coming in first.  But as I was ranting at you, I realized that I want to make sure he's safe.  I'm thinking we should try to find them and make sure nothing bad happens."  
  
Simon nodded.   "I agree.  I don't care if we come in dead last, as long as Blair gets through this safely." Jim smiled his relief.  "And I'm going to apologize to him for not standing up.  I owe you _and_ him a fresh bowl of Wheaties.  Now, where do we start?"  
  
Jim pointed. "Well, maybe in the brush at the base of that tree over there.  I see something shiny.  It might be one of those tokens Carlson mentioned and it could be something useful."  
  
Simon went over and picked up the package. It was identical to the one Blair had rescued from the tree.  "Well this will come in handy," he said as he showed Jim the flashlight.  
  
"For you, yeah," Jim said. "Let's start finding them."

 

*****

  
Joel and Blair had been traveling steadily for over an hour.  They'd found a path, but whether it actually led to the lodge they didn't know.  At least it was in the right direction, and the going was easier on the path than in the rough of the forest floor.  The mountain rose to their right and the path was fairly even.  
  
By agreement, they stopped for a five-minute rest every half-hour, knowing that they would have plenty of time to make it to the lodge by the deadline.  Blair was quite used to hiking; he was also younger and in better shape than Joel, which Joel conceded graciously when Blair suggested the frequent breaks. At their second break, they drank sparingly from their canteens.  They'd been talking about ordinary things to take their minds off their feet; the vacation Joel was planning, the classes Blair was teaching.  Joel suddenly spoke up. "Hey, you never told me why you were climbing a tree when you met Jim."  
  
"Well, we were out at some warehouse Jim had been staking out that blew up…"  
  
"I remember that case well; it was Veronica Sarris who signed her notes 'The Switchman'.  I went out there after the explosion. We found bits of the bomb--the timer casing and some of the C-4.  Forensics went all over the scene, but they never found much; the explosives were placed in strategic locations designed to flatten the place.  What was Jim doing out there?"  
  
Too late Blair realized that the natural end to the story was Jim using his senses. Worse yet, he had no good answer for why he'd been with Jim during the Switchman case--it was before he was given ride-along credentials.  He struggled to think of a way to spin it.  After all, Joel was smart and a cop; he could put two and two together better than the average person.  Blair took a deep breath.  
  
"Actually, I'm not sure.  I think it was because it was _his_ case, you know? His responsibility. There was nothing much to see with everything blown to smithereens. He looked around but didn't find anything."  
  
"What about the tree?"  
  
Blair feigned surprise.  "Oh, that.  Well it was really quiet and, all of a sudden, this bird was screeching at us, like we'd invaded her space or something. Then she picked up some yarn and flew into a nearby tree where she was making a nest. Jim wanted to look at the yarn. He said the bomber was wearing a watch cap of the same color.  He was wearing crappy shoes for climbing, so he asked me to get the nest, which I did."  
  
"What did he want the yarn for? It couldn't have had any evidence on it."  
  
Blair shrugged. "I don't know.  Maybe he thought there was DNA from her hair on it or something.  Anyway, shouldn't we get going?"  
  
During the next half-hour, Blair provided more of the conversation.  He had more breath, for one thing, and he had lots of entertaining stories that had Joel laughing and kept them going.  They'd just stopped again for a break when the earth suddenly moved.  
  
"Earthquake!" Joel yelled, although Blair realized what it was almost immediately. Joel pulled him off the path and plastered them against a huge tree.  
  
Blair realized why he'd done it shortly after the shaking stopped ten seconds later--the tree shielded them from rocks that were tumbling down the mountain. Any one of them could have caused some nasty damage.  He waited, heart pounding, for another minute to make sure the ground had indeed stopped moving.  "Shit!" he exclaimed with heartfelt fervor. "That sucked." He took a quick inventory of his body but, other than his racing heart and shaking due to adrenaline, he was unharmed.  "Are you okay, Joel?"  
  
"Yeah," Joel replied. "Nothing bent or broken."  
  
"That was quick thinking, man. Thanks for saving us from bruises or worse.  What do you think we should do?"  
  
"Probably get back to the lodge as quickly as we can. I don't know whether the road that brought us up is blocked, but they'll be looking for us. It's better not to waste first-responders on us, since we're okay."  
  
"Sounds good," Blair said. "Let's make sure we've got everything before--" Suddenly, there was a muffled bang. "What the hell was _that?"_  
  
"Flare gun," Joel replied, looking up and pointing.  Sure enough, they could see the colored light in the air. "C'mon, let's head in that direction.  If they shot it straight up, it shouldn't take us too long to get there, depending on the terrain.  As we get closer, we can start calling out." With that, they made their way, slowly traversing the mountain.

 

*****

  
"Crap. Just what we need.  Are you okay, Simon?"  
  
"Yeah," he answered, from where he'd fallen. "Other than this rock under my ass that's going to leave a bruise." He stood up and dusted himself off. "I can't remember the last time we had a quake.  What are the chances It happens now?"  
  
"Murphy's law.  I'm going to see if I can feel for aftershocks."  
  
"You can do that?"  
  
"Shh," Jim hissed. He lay prone, his head turned so one ear was on the ground, his arms outstretched and palms down on the earth. After a couple of minutes' concentration, he pushed himself up.  "I can't feel or hear anything immediate.  Let's go."  
  
They'd used their time since deciding to search for Blair and Joel to orient themselves and try to find their friends.  They hadn't located them, but Jim had heard two other pairs within the miles they'd traveled moving west. Simon didn't ask how he knew the groups weren't Joel and Blair, or which direction they needed to travel. It fell under the category of "too much information" that he relegated to the sentinel phenomenon; he was just glad enough to follow.  
  
"Where to?"  Simon could read the conflict in Jim's face; his worry for his friend versus his general worry for all the people in his orbit--in this case, the other participants. Jim opened his mouth to say something when he turned his head away from Simon and up.  Simon followed Jim's line of sight and saw the flare. It was at least five miles away.  
  
Jim's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "We should check on the closest pairs, to make sure they don't need first aid, then head for the flare. If they're alert enough to set off the gun, they're at least conscious."  With that, he headed in one direction at a lope, leaving Simon to follow him, using the flashlight to avoid debris.  
  
They came across Megan and Jennifer, who were shook up but basically okay.  "Quite a wake-up call," Megan said when they were asked their situation.  "A few scrapes but otherwise okay."  
  
"Good," Jim answered.  "Someone set off a flare gun. We're going to head that way."  
  
"We'll come with," Megan answered.  
  
"No," Jim said firmly. "It's still dark and having a larger group would slow me down. I suggest you wait until dawn to get back to the lodge, unless it starts quaking again.  Find a place that looks relatively safe to stay.  Flat and away from any loose rocks or boulders." He looked around.  "Over there are some large trees.  Set up camp on the side away from the slope; that way, if rocks do start tumbling, the tree will protect you." Megan was obviously itching to object. "Please.  If we need your help, I'll shoot twice in a row. Then make your way in our direction.  We're headed that way," he said pointing toward where the next group was.  
  
Jennifer was about to add her objections, but Megan stopped her.  She said quietly, "Jim was in the Rangers, so has a lot of experience with search and rescue." At Jennifer's acknowledgement, she added quietly, "And he's a psychic.  I'm sure he can find our friends."  
  
Jim rolled his eyes, wondering how long it would take for _that_ rumor to spread. He cocked his head at Simon and they were off.

 

*****

  
Joel and Blair walked steadily in the direction of the flare.  After about half an hour, Joel said, "We should be close enough to start calling out." With that, he and Blair took turns shouting.  Since they didn't know who they were looking for, they used variations of "where are you" and "is anyone out here".  
  
In another fifteen minutes, they were rewarded with a responding shout.  They looked at each other, saying "Rafe!" at the same time.  They moved as fast as safety allowed, finally meeting Rafe, who was waving a flashlight, obviously finding their token left by Carlson. "Thank god you're here," Rafe said.  
  
"Are you okay?" Joel asked, using his flashlight to scan Rafe for blood or bruises.  
  
"I'm okay, but Manny's hurt."  
  
"How bad?" Joel asked, anxiously. Manny was one of his men, which escalated the situation for him personally.  
  
"It's his ankle. He was hit by a big rock that rolled downhill during the quake.  I don't know if it's bones or ligaments, but he's in a lot of pain."  
  
Rafe guided them to their site.  It was obvious they'd planned to wait until the light of dawn to travel--the remains of a campfire smoldered and Manny was lying next to it, his eyes closed.  
  
"Hold this light, Blair," Joel commanded.  He felt around, moving the ankle to get an idea of the damage. Manny moaned but otherwise kept quiet.  "I don't think it's broken, but you might have some soft tissue damage.  It's swelling up badly, though. We should get your boot off."  
  
"Shouldn't we leave it on to help stabilize it?" Rafe asked.  
  
"Ordinarily, I'd say yes, but I'm afraid the amount of swelling might cause the boot to restrict blood flow. We don't have anything to get it off except for the knives they gave us, which are too crude to do it without damaging his foot.  Better to get it off now and we can immobilize it."  With that, Joel unlaced the boot and pulled out the tongue. "Ready? Here we go." At Manny's nod, he removed the boot. He took off the sock as well, to check the damage.  When he saw no broken skin, Joel sighed in relief.  
  
"Okay, let's get this wrapped.  Blair, find straight sticks we can use to keep this still.  We'll need strips of cloth to secure them."  Blair unloaded his jacket and dumped the wood.  He found four likely pieces and used their knife to remove the little branches and make them as smooth as possible.  While he did that, Rafe removed his outerwear and pulled off a T-shirt, using his knife to cut it into strips. Joel took the time to dump his jacket and its contents, then he covered Manny with it, trying to keep him warm. When the men handed him their offerings, he efficiently wrapped the ankle tightly with some of the cloth, then affixed the splints in place with the rest. Joel sat back and looked at his handiwork.  "How are you feeling, Manny?"  
  
"Hurts like hell," he gritted, "but otherwise okay."  
  
"Did you hurt anything else? Head? Arms? Ribs?" asked Joel, taking the flashlight and running the light over his body.  
  
"Nah, just didn't get out of the way of that boulder fast enough," he said. "Stupid."  
  
"Yeah," Blair said wryly, "So stupid of you not to anticipate an earthquake." He looked around. "Why don't we build up the fire to keep us warm while we wait for the cavalry?" He picked up his jacket to add to Joel's when he felt something. "Oh, yeah, maybe these will help." He pulled out some little packets and handed one to Manny.  "It's ibuprofen," he said. "It should take the edge off the pain."  
  
Manny didn't question the gift; he swallowed the pills gratefully with some water.  
  
"What should we do now?" Rafe asked as they sat around the fire.  
  
"Well, they should be trying to find us," Joel answered. "Remember that we have tracers on us.  They'll probably start where they dropped us off.  Blair and I walked quite a bit from our drop point; how far are you from where you started?" Joel asked.  
  
"About half an hour that way," he pointed.  "We were going to continue to walk, especially after we found the flashlight, but the ground was still too rough. So, we decided to wait 'til dawn and try to make good time."  
  
Joel looked at Blair. "Are you up for another walk? I think it will be easiest if we try to meet them at the drop-off point, rather than setting off another flare." He turned to Rafe. "Stay with Manny and make sure he keeps warm and hydrated. By the time we make it there, help should have arrived."  
  
"I can help," Rafe protested.  "I can find my way back to the drop-off."  
  
"I'm sure you can," Joel soothed, putting his hand on Rafe's shoulder. "Stay with your partner.  If you have a problem, shoot up another flare and we'll head back." Rafe conceded unhappily.  
  
"Ready?" Joel asked Blair.  Blair nodded and they took off.

 

*****

  
Jim and Simon made their way to the next campsite, where even Simon could hear Henri Brown's deep belly-laugh. He and Rick O'Neal were sitting around their campfire, with Henri telling stories about working with Rafe as a partner.  "Yeah," he was saying, "when people look at us, they think we're total opposites and I don't just mean skin color. How we dress, how we talk, it all looks like we couldn't be further apart. But it works, it sure does.  And the only guy with a better closing rate than us is Jim, and that's 'cause he's got Hairboy."  
  
"Who's Hairboy--oh, you mean Sandburg?  I thought he was just an observer."  
  
"Yeah, he is, but he's also got smarts.  He's academic, sure, but the stuff he's learned has been pretty helpful in solving some oddball cases. I tell ya, if we could borrow him once in a while, we'd be unstoppable!" He shrugged, "But Ellison keeps him pretty busy."  
  
Simon and Jim exchanged a look, then stepped into the firelight.  "Keep those mitts off my partner, H, if you know what's good for you," Jim said, mock threatening.  
  
"Jim! I'd never touch him--without _his_ permission, anyway. After all, he can make his own decisions.  I'll pay him more than you do; maybe I can seduce him to the dark side," he continued, laughing at Jim's face. "Just kidding, babe. What the hell are you doing here, anyway?"  
  
"We stopped by to see if you needed anything after the quake," Simon answered.  
  
"Nah, not unless you've got some marshmallows we can roast," Henri answered.  "We thought we'd wait 'til light to head back to the lodge.  This exercise is a bust."  
  
"You didn't go far from the drop-off point, did you?" Jim asked.  Henri shook his head.  "Well, I'm seeing some headlights.  Looks like they've sent out a rescue team." He started striding toward their drop-off, as Henri and Rick scrambled up, gathering their belongings. "Make sure you put out that fire," Jim said as he turned toward them.   Henri gave him a good-natured salute, then he and Rick started kicking dirt on the fire.  
  
Jim recognized the driver of the Jeep as one of the men who'd met them at the lodge earlier in the evening. A woman wearing an EMT uniform sat in the passenger side, her first aid case in the back.  "Are you okay?" the driver asked. "You're…" he consulted a list, "Ellison and Banks, right?  You're a long way from your drop. What're you doing out here?"  
  
"We were worried about our colleagues and decided to see if anyone needed help," Jim answered.  
  
The driver raised his eyebrow, "And you wandered around in the woods, not knowing where they were, and you just happened to find them?" He looked at them suspiciously. "You don't have cell phones on you, do you? That'd be against the rules."  
  
Jim rolled his eyes, trying to hold onto his temper. "You can have us frisked if you want.  I was an Army Ranger and know my way around a search and rescue.  What I want to know is, how are the rest of the teams?  Have they been picked up?"  
  
The driver looked at him a moment longer, then picked up a walkie talkie.  "Matt, this is Harvey.  I've got your two birds from the Charlie drop. Have you heard from anyone else? Over."  
  
_"Yeah, Dave just got… Connor and Flaherty. Shook up but okay. They're heading back to base. Over."_  
  
"What about the others? Over."  
  
_"Haven't heard yet. What do you want us to do? Over."_  
  
"I don't have enough room for them all. Can you head over here? Over."  
  
_"Will do.  Be there is ten to fifteen, depending on the road. Out."_  
  
Harvey turned to Jim. "There ya go.  Now, what about our pickup?  I'm looking for Brown and O'Neal."  
  
"We're here," Rick announced, with Henri right behind him.  
  
"Are you guys okay? Anyone hurt?" the EMT asked.  
  
"No, we're fine."  
  
"Okay, then, climb in and we'll get you back to base." He turned to Jim and Simon. "Your ride will be here in just a few."  
  
"Wait a minute," Simon said, putting a restraining arm on Jim, who was practically growling. "What about the other two teams? We need to know how they're doing."  
  
Harvey picked up his walkie talkie. "Phil, this is Harvey. Have you found your team? Over."  
  
_"Not yet.  We’re at the drop-off and getting ready to head to their location with a stretcher. We're waiting for Clark and his EMT to arrive here for backup. Over."_  
  
"Why do they need a stretcher!" Jim shouted as soon as Harvey hit the "send" button.  
  
"Phil, we've got some anxious colleagues here.  Can you give us an update? Over."  
  
_"We haven't seen him yet, but it looks like one of the participants got hit by falling rocks in the quake.  It doesn't seem too bad--an ankle that's either broken or torn muscle. His partner is with him. Over."_  
  
_"Who?!"_ Jim shouted in frustration.  
  
"ID on the vic? Over," Harvey asked, looking at Jim strangely.  
  
_"Um… Manny Maldonado. Over."_  
  
Jim closed his eyes in relief.  "What about the other team," he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.  
  
"Phil, have you heard about the other team? Over."  
  
_"Yeah, they're here with us.  They're the ones who hiked up to Delta drop to let us know about Maldonado. Their ride is on their way from Echo drop. Over. Oh, shit!"_  
  
"What the hell does that mean?" Jim snarled.  
  
"Phil, what's going on. Over."  
  
_Well, the little guy started arguing with the EMT about waiting for backup. He and his partner grabbed her and headed down to where they're camped.  He said they can carry Maldonado up and meet us here.  I gotta go."_  
  
"Shit, we've got to get out there.  Take us there, _now_ ," Jim commanded.  
  
"Hold up, Sport. Your ride's coming. They've got two jeeps and seven people there to help."  
  
"Listen, _Sport_ , you either take us there voluntarily or under arrest, you get me?"  
  
"Whoa, whoa, Jim," said Henri, putting an arm on his colleague. "He doesn’t understand." He turned to the alarmed driver. "Man, we put our lives on the line every day and the only way we make it through some days is because we have each other's back. We know they probably don't need our help.  We just want to be there, for them and for our own peace of mind. Okay?"  
  
Harvey nodded.  "Okay. Who wants to go with me?"  
  
"Take it, Ellison. Tell Hairboy we're on our way."  
  
Jim put his hand on H's shoulder in silent thanks, then climbed into the back seat, Simon getting in on the other side. "Let's go."  
  
Harvey made a three-point turn and headed out, just as the Jeep with Matt and his EMT passed them going toward the drop.

 

*****

  
It took longer than they expected; the road from H's drop to Rafe's was connected by a narrow, winding road.  Twice they had to stop to clear rocks and debris.  By the time they had the second blockage cleared, Matt and his entourage had caught up.  The caravan continued to Delta drop, where they all exited, Jim in the lead.  
  
There were no Jeeps to be found.  He looked down the mountain, then listened. Nothing. He turned back to their Jeep. "Where are they? he asked Harvey, who was already on the walkie talkie.  
  
"The one with Maldonado headed directly to the nearest hospital.  The other one is headed back to the lodge." He clicked off.  "We should go there."  
  
Jim got back in the Jeep and the caravan continued on to the lodge without further incident.

 

*****

  
Blair groaned. "Oh, man, you gotta try this one," he said, sliding a container over to Joel.  
  
They'd made it back to the lodge, waving to Rafe as the Jeep carrying him and Manny peeled off and drove to the nearest town.  Between the relief that everyone was safe, the hard trek that had consumed their night, and the struggle to bring Manny up to the drop site on a stretcher, they realized they were both starving.  They moved to the kitchen, opening refrigerators and freezers, looking for something.  They'd finally settled on ice cream.  
  
"What is it?" Joel asked.  
  
"Boysenberry cheesecake.  Look, it even has pieces of graham cracker crust mixed in. It's awesome."  
  
Joel smiled.  "Sounds great, but I think I'll stick with mocha almond fudge. It's my favorite and Frannie doesn't let me have it too often."  
  
Blair nodded sagely. "Tough love, huh? She only wants to keep you healthy."  
  
"Yeah, I know.  That's why I don't complain.  She's right." He yawned. "I'm bushed."  
  
"Why don't you grab some shuteye? We've been up all night at hard labor besides. I'm going to stay up and wait for Jim and Simon. Phil said their driver said they were anxious to make sure we were okay." He yawned. "I guess it's contagious.  Get some rest.  And, thanks, Joel, for being such a good partner."  
  
Joel smiled.  "You too, Blair." He looked at his watch. "I think I'll grab a shower then get a ride to the hospital.  See you in the morning--or later this morning."  
  
Blair looked at the ice cream, took one more spoonful, and put all the containers away.  He dumped the spoons in the sink and looked around.  Deciding coffee might be welcome, especially with a little Bailey's in it, he set out to find the makings.  While the coffee was percolating, he pulled cold cuts and sandwich fixings out of the fridge, figuring his colleagues would be hungry.  
  
"Hey, Sandy, how's it going?" Megan asked as she walked into the kitchen.  She looked a lot better than he was sure he did; she'd showered and was wearing soft sweats. "Oh, I'm starved," she declared with feeling. "Is this for anyone?"  
  
Blair grinned.  "It's for everyone.  I figured no one had a chance to eat all night and this looked good and easy.  Coffee's brewing, too."  
  
"Bless you," she said as she poured herself a cup.  When she saw the bottle of Bailey's, she added a healthy slug. While she was assembling her sandwich, Henri, Rick, Simon and Jim trooped in.  
  
"Chief, are you okay?"  
  
Blair shrugged. "Pretty much.  Nothing ten hours of sleep in a nice, soft bed won't fix.  How about you? Our driver said you were, as he put it, 'a little uptight'."  He grinned. "I thought with Simon as your partner, you'd be a shoe-in to win this shebang."  
  
Jim came up to Blair and put his hand on his shoulder. Blair could see the relief in his eyes. "Well, I guess not having my regular partner threw me off my game.  I understand you and Joel are the heroes of the day. Should I be worried that you're moving on to greener pastures?"  
  
"Well, if I ever couldn't ride with you, Joel would make a great partner. Did you know he was in the Army? He had medic training like you and he made good decisions to keep us safe and on track.  And he has some great stories," Blair said enthusiastically.  "But I did miss your charming self. I hope _you_ didn't get used to Simon, 'cause I've gotten you pretty well broken-in the way I like you," he said, giving Jim a cheeky grin.  
  
"Don't worry about me, Sandburg," Simon growled, "I'm more than happy to hand Ellison back into your capable hands." Blair looked at him, not quite sure whether he was being complimented.  "Now, I'm ready for food, a shower and a nap."  With that, everyone dug into the food, and Blair found some beer and sodas to add to the feast.

 

*****

  
Since the deadline for their exercise had been set for noon, no one felt obliged to show up in the conference room until after lunch.  When Jim and Blair arrived around 1, everyone else was there, including Manny, who was sitting with his ankle propped up on a chair, his crutches leaning against the table.  
  
"Manny, how're you doing, man?" Blair asked, then rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, I bet you've been asked that a dozen times."  
  
"Close.  But I know it's only 'cause you care.  I was lucky--just some bad bruising.  No broken bones or torn ligaments. I have to use crutches for about a week and then light duty."  
  
Carlson came in, looking paler than the previous day.  He walked up to Manny.  "I'm so sorry this happened, Officer Maldonado. I've filled out the paperwork you need for HR and Workers' Comp." He looked genuinely sorry. "Are you in pain? Do you need anything?"  
  
Manny looked at the poor man and let him off the hook. "Nah, I'm okay.  They gave me the good drugs," he said, grinning.  
  
Simon spoke up. "Mr. Carlson, I'd like to give some feedback about that last exercise." At Carlson's resigned nod, Simon continued.  "It was, in a word, ill-conceived.  I understand that we weren't tasked nearly as much as the survival games they use in the military, still it's not something that we're used to nor expect to do during this type of seminar. We've lost Manny for a while, and it could have been a whole lot worse."  
  
Carlson nodded.  "Of course, no one could have predicted an earthquake, and up until now these exercises have been without incident, but your point is taken.  We'll be reviewing our methods before the next group comes through.  Again, I'm sorry Officer Maldonado was hurt and I'm glad no one else was."  
  
"So," Rafe piped up, "who won?"  
  
Carlson looked at him in confusion, then recognition.  "Oh, okay, I guess we could figure that out.  Since none of the teams made it to the lodge on their own power, no one gets any points for completion.  However, we did have tokens scattered about.  Did anyone find one or more tokens?"  
  
"We found one," Jennifer said, holding up their flashlight and note.  
  
Carlson walked over to her to read it.  "Okay, you've got 25 points for finding this. Very good.  Anyone else?"  
  
"We found one, too," Rafe answered. "It was hidden in a bush."  
  
"That would be worth 25 points, as well," Carlson answered.  "And, before you ask, the tokens were all flashlights.  The only difference in points is how hard it was to find and retrieve them."  
  
"Oh, man," Henri complained.  "We could have had a flashlight? I didn't see any around.  Where was it hidden?"  
  
Carlson consulted his notes.  "Yours would have been in a tree.  You had to look up to find it."  
  
"Ours was in a tree, too," said Blair.  "Joel looked up and spotted it."  
  
"And Blair climbed the tree to get it down," Joel added.  
  
"That gets you 50 points," Carlson said. He turned to Jim and Simon, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"We found ours, but it was in a bush," Jim replied.  "I guess you two win."  
  
"So, what's the prize?" Megan asked.  
  
"Bragging rights?" Carlson asked teasingly. "Personal satisfaction in a job well done? Seriously, we do have a little something for the winning team."  He pulled out two small envelopes and handed them to Joel and Blair. "A certificate for a massage at the day spa here.  Job well done," he said and started clapping, the others joining in to the pleasured embarrassment of the teammates.  
  
"As for the rest of you, also job well done.  I know it's not easy for men and women of action to sit for hours, especially on days that you expect to have off from work.  I hope you've learned something about each other and yourselves, which was the intent.  Now, I'm asking you to fill in the evaluations on the table in front of you and then you are free to go. Your rooms and meal vouchers are paid up through tonight, so I suggest you get out of here and enjoy this lovely Spring day. Thank you."  
  
Everyone filled out their form and handed it to Carlson, some even shaking his hand as they left.  
  
Interestingly, the group separated into the exercise pairs, rather than their official partners or squads. Rafe and Manny ordered drinks pool-side, even though the pool was too cold to swim in.  Megan and Jennifer joined them and were soon in a spirited conversation over soccer teams.  
  
Since they hadn't done any actual walking the night before, H and Rick decided to take one of the nature trails where the azaleas were in full bloom and the cherry trees were just starting to bud.  
  
Simon and Jim approached Joel and Blair.  "How about a cocktail?' Simon asked. "I hear they make some exotic ones here--lots of fruit and rum. First round's on me."  
  
"Thanks, Simon, maybe later," Blair replied, waving his envelope. "I've got a certificate to use and who knows when we'll be back here?  What about it, Joel?  Gonna join me?"  
  
Joel hesitated. "I've… I've never had a massage before."  
  
"You're gonna love it.  It's like you died and went to heaven.  C'mon, let's see what times are available." And with that, Blair was pulling Joel toward the spa, looking like a tug boat towing a steamer.  
  
Jim watched them fondly.  "I guess I've lost my partner again. I'm ready to drown my sorrows; let's get a drink."  
  
"And munchies. Wings and nachos--all those things Sandburg lectures us on."  
  
"Sounds like a plan."

 

*****

  
Jim looked over at Blair, who was staring out the passenger window.  They'd just left the lodge. The goodbyes, handshakes and hugs belied that most of these people were going to see each other the next day.  "Are you okay, Chief?"  
  
Blair rolled his eyes.  "For the twentieth time, _yes!_ Use those super senses to scan me, man. Can't you tell?  I'm practically humming."  
  
Jim listened in as much as he could while keeping his attention on the road.  He nodded.  
  
"Today was great!" Blair enthused.  "Sleeping in, an awesome lunch, a fabulous massage, a nap under that huge oak tree, and prime rib dinner with all the trimmings. And you're never gonna to believe this, Jim. Simon apologized to me-- _Simon!_ He said he should have insisted that I not participate because I wasn't a cop.  He said he should have backed me up." Blair looked sideways at Jim. "You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?"  
  
"Sandburg, I'm hurt."  
  
"Hmm.  When I asked Simon if you put him up to it, he growled and asked if I thought you bossed him around.  I notice neither one of you actually answered the question."  Jim remained quiet. "But, man, I don't care!  This has been an awesome day!"  
  
"Did you get your school work done?"  
  
Blair gave him a handwave. "All done."  
  
"Really?  When did you find the time?"  
  
"Saturday during those round table exercises. Sheesh, it was the only way I could stay awake. Carlson should work on his lecturing voice.  It's better than Sominex."  
  
Jim didn't know what to say to that.  Looking back on his reasons for not having Blair participate, he realized he might have been overreacting. Blair was obviously in control of his Rainier work, he melded his skills with Joel's to the point where, if it hadn't been for the earthquake, they might have won the competition.  And they'd been an integral part of aiding in Manny's care and rescue.  He sighed, feeling a little foolish at the way he'd sounded off at Simon and the Jeep drivers.  
  
As if he could read Jim's mind, Blair asked, "Jim, were you worried about me?  I mean, I appreciate your wanting to talk to Carlson about excusing me, but you knew I was okay, right?" When Jim stayed silent, he continued. "We've camped together; you know my outdoor skills are good. I know I'm sometimes directionally challenged, but we were within the lodge grounds--we'd never be very far away. And Joel might not have your Ranger training, but he's got a lot of life experience and he'd protect me with his life.  He did, in fact.  When the quake happened, he pulled me behind a tree that shielded us from a rockslide."  
  
Jim sighed.  "In my head, I knew you would probably be all right. But in my gut I was… uncomfortable with you being away from me.  Bottom line, I'm responsible for you and you've been hurt while on the job with me--usually when we're separated. And this…thing was so stupid. I guess I was a little pissed at having to be there and that you got roped into it.  It just seemed like an unnecessary risk." He sighed again.  "Sorry, Chief, I should have trusted you."  
  
Blair smiled. "It's not a matter of trust, Jim. Anything can happen at any time, as Manny found out. Some things are just out of our control.  You were worried about me and I'm touched.  Truth is, I was worried about you, too.  Simon's okay, but I would have felt better if I'd been watching your back." Blair leaned back and put his feet up on the dashboard, earning a glare from Jim, which made him laugh.  "So, partner, I'm feeling a need to reconnect.  What do you think we should do?"  
  
"Camping? Next weekend?"  
  
"Sounds great. Anywhere but Mt Rainier Lodge."  
  
The rest of the trip home was spent planning their weekend getaway.

 

 

~~the end~~

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Aly for the input. :^D


End file.
